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Topic: Greetings from Boston! (Read 388 times)

Hi everyone! I've been lurking for a couple of weeks but figured it's time to introduce myself...

I used to be into grilling and BBQing but I recently moved into a new apartment that doesn't allow grills, so I needed a new summer hobby. After seeing a local TV show that tested out a homemade goat cheese kit, I decided that the idea of making my own cheese sounded like magic! So I did some reading, grabbed my old dorm fridge to convert into a cave, and jumped right into the deep end, making hard cheeses. Here's what I've attempted so far:

Farmhouse Cheddar (waxed, unopened)Pepper Jack (waxed, tried this week - it worked!)Parmesan (tried for a natural rind and fought valiantly against the mold for a month before waxing that one too)Yellow Farmhouse Cheddar (added lipase without fully understanding how it worked, maybe I invented goat cheddar?)Sage Derby (waxed, doing well I think)Swiss (swelling now)Edam (waxed - this'll be the next one I try)Asiago (waxed after learning from my Parmesan experiment that I can't be bothered to make a natural rind)Provolone #1 (never stretched, so I pressed it and waxed it)Provolone #2 (after 2 days at 110 degrees, it finally stretched and is aging now)30 minute mozzarella (melted nicely in the microwave, not quite as nicely on pizza)

Along with those I've made either ricotta or ricotta salata from the whey. I always look at the whey and think "there's more cheese hiding in there. It would be a shame to just throw it away." Haven't tried any of the ricotta salatas yet.

With the exception of that one provolone and a mozzarella that didn't stretch (probably becuase I used ascorbic acid instead of citric), I don't think I've had any other failures yet.

I'm mostly here to check out others' ideas and suggestions (and of course to look at pictures), but hopefully soon I'll have enough knowledge to start giving out some advice too!

Welcome! Don't think you have nothing to offer yet. We're always happy to see posts of cheese makes and photos of how it went! Tasting notes are fun and a teaching experience too. I learn from what others do as much as from what I do.

I am impressed by your list of cheeses and I'd call you an over achiever except that it somehow sounds like a bad thing and there's no such thing as making too much cheese so maybe I better just call you an impressive achiever.

Parmesan (tried for a natural rind and fought valiantly against the mold for a month before waxing that one too)

Wow, busy busy.... What a list!

Don't forget to check periodically for mold under the wax. It happens.

Thanks! Oh don't worry -- if anything I need to remind myself to STOP peeking inside the fridge these days! But before I waxed the Parmesan it had big brown spots all over it (probably becuase it had a little water dripping from it's box's lid for the first couple of days), to the point where I thought it was deep inside the rind. But After a good scrubbing with a nail brush it looks pristine again! Assuming I sealed it properly with wax, how much of a tiny speck of mold would I have to have missed for it to become a problem?